Tag: play

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New pool

The weather has been SO hot already this summer.  Today I reached a breaking point.  I loaded up the kids into the suburban and headed for Menards.  The boys love going to any of the big box hardware stores.  They actually know the difference too, which is hilarious to me.  When we drive by one, Nolan is usually quick to point out which one we are passing.  We have also taught him what Ace Hardware is as well, since it’s important for him to know Uncle Mark’s store 🙂

Anyway, I digress.  We picked up a cart and headed for the garden section.  The boys were given the choice between a purple or blue pool.  They chose purple.  We loaded it into the truck and headed right home.  They were uber excited to fill it and play.  Water temperature doesn’t phase them in the least.  Their lips could be blue and their skin have goosebumps and they’ll continue to play.  As for me, dipping my feet is enough!  I have a feeling the pool is going to be an important part of our outdoor play this summer.

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Taking the field

Let the fun begin!  Nolan and Jake headed to the soccer field tonight for Nolan’s 1st game 🙂  It was fun to watch the kids play.  You can definitely tell the difference between the 6 year olds (several who have played before) and the 4 year olds.  The older kids “get” the concept of trying to kick the ball toward the opposite goal, while the younger ones just like to watch the others play and cheer them on.  It’s really cute!  The kids play 5 minute periods and then switch positions.  The great thing about the league is that there aren’t any refs.  The coaches are on the field with the kids and coach them as they play.  I think it’s a great way for them to learn some of the fundamentals about the game while also having fun.  It’s totally a no-pressure game.

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Father’s Day and 50 years

We spent Father’s Day at my parents’ house this year.  The weather was beautiful!  We played in the backyard, which the kids loved.  Bocce ball, hula hoops, wiffle ball, oh and of course, “water squirters!”  Good times.

After dinner, we headed to Jake’s grandparents’ 50th anniversary party.  50 years!  What an awesome event to celebrate!  Jake had taken some of their wedding slides and scanned them, so those at the party were able to “relive” the original celebration along with Lois & Dale.  (Photos taken by Jake’s cousin, Beth.)

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Picnic with Nana

Nolan has Vacation Bible School this week.  He has had a lot of fun!  Instead of just going home afterward, today we met Nana (my mom) at the “purple park” and had a picnic lunch.  This is one of the boys’ favorite parks.  They love the sand, the swings, the purple dinosaur, and of course, the digger.

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Brotherly love

I love it when the boys play together nicely.  Here’s a glimpse of them sharing the piano bench.  They’re practicing a duet 🙂

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Dinner with Michelle & Alex

Our friend, Michelle and her youngest brother, Alex, came over for dinner tonight.  Michelle is so good about letting us know when Alex is visiting – we always enjoy seeing him and the boys have a lot of fun with him!  (I think he has fun with them as well :))  After a tasty enchilada dinner, we had cake for dessert (decorated with sprinkles by the boys.)  Then we spent a little time in the living room being entertained by the 3 youngest of the group.  The boys brought in props and Alex read to us.  Thanks for humoring us and the boys, Alex!

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Soccer star

Last year, Nolan received a soccer goal from Uncle Tony for his birthday.  He enjoys scoring goals in the backyard, so we asked if he wanted to give soccer a try.  Once of his buddies (a little guy we met in ECFE class) was playing, so we signed him up to play on the same team.  Tonight was their first soccer practice.  the team is made up of 4, 5 & 6 year olds.  I think that’s quite an age range difference, but I suppose it makes sense to have at least a couple of kids who “get” what the goal of the game is.  (Pun intended :))  Here’s the little guy decked out in his spankin’ new shin guards and soccer socks.

Oh, and one other note.  Jake is coaching Nolan’s team.  He offered to help out if no other parents stepped forwards.  Well, apparently no one was up for the task, so he agreed to give it a try.  It should be a fun summer season!

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What’s new at the zoo?

The polar bears!  Jake and I took the kids to the Como Zoo to check out the new polar bear exhibit.  It was overcast (and eventually rained on us) but the boys still enjoyed themselves.  The nice thing about the Como Zoo is its size – just big enough to keep the interest of the kids for a couple of hours.  It’s also small enough to them to walk around and not get too tired.  Although from the picture of Nolan in the stroller, you can see he did end up needing a little break.

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Water toys galore!

The boys broke out Nolan’s new birthday presents and had a blast playing in the backyard.  He received a beach ball sprinkler from Auntie Kari, water guns from our friends, the A’s, and a huge water squirter & squid diving toys from the F’s.  Jake filled a metal bin full of water, turned on the sprinkler, and let them play till they shivered!  For the record, it wasn’t cold out, but the water was definitely chilly!

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The party

We celebrated Nolan’s birthday (with extended family & friends) a week later than his actual birthday.  His request was to have a balloon pit, similar to the one Jake made for New Year’s Eve.  He was happy to oblige, with a minor change in location.  We assembled our indoor play yard fence in the porch and let the balloon blowing begin.  Thanks to the air compressor, Jake, Uncle Tony, Nolan and Lincoln quickly filled the oval shaped pit with over 100 balloons and beach balls.

I took the easy way out this year and purchased a birthday cake from the grocery store.  Nolan picked out WALL-E for the decorative picture.  Hopefully next year I’ll feel up to putting together another homemade creation for his celebration.

The kids who joined in the fun seemed to really enjoy themselves – even the babies took part in the action 🙂  After all, who can resist that many balloons?!?